second month 2008
So it has been a couple of weeks since Jules and i made it back from the UK. Things proceed. It was touch and go there when i came back. i almost forgot everything i had learned in the past year. Plus I had to give a talk on the first day back. Luckily the talk was put back a week which gave me some valuable time to recover my mind from the chemical disposal unit of the holidays. Jules was an angel during that period as i was a mess. Thank goodness for my beautiful girl.
But now with what has turned out to be a fresh set of eyes i have spied some new things in an old set of data form last year. So, it has been several weeks of feverish measurements in my lab.
While at the end of the day feverish measurements make you feel like you have accomplished things at work, it does mean that you hide away in your little hole without much external input. And you can get bogged down in measurement sand stop seeing the big picture of what the hell it is that you are looking at. I am now almost at the end of the measurements and i have to step back and not be horrified at the incomprehensibility of what i have done.
Saturday is a Chinese new year party at my professor's house. It promises to be good. I think i will follow the usual procedure and get ridiculously drunk. However that is a common occurrence amongst the academics (work hard, play hard... hardly).
I have been reading Porterhouse Blue which is about an imaginary college at Cambridge in the 1970s. The English sense of tradition "we didn't win the war, we just stubbornly refused to lose" and it's hesitance to change. The college is, as i said imaginary and take s place on part of the grounds of Clare college. it is kind of cool to wander around thew set for the book on the way to work. My usual coffee shop just outside trinity and st johns is right near where the supposed porterhouse is and so i sit as usual with my coffee under Newton's watchful glare and now i imagine Skullion and Zipser too.
Trinity road is in some ways the main vein of the university in Cambridge. So many students and so many wild characters from england past come riding by on their push bikes. Then i ride on my way to the Cavendish laboratories to take my place. It is inspiring at times. Enough so, that when i was in oz i ran a D&D campaign set in England and starting in the little town of Cambridge during the Danelaw in 999. Jules had her first taste of (table top) role playing and seemed to enjoy it. A victory for geekish pursuits if ever there was one.
Pete is heading here in a few weeks (we hope) as long as his visa is sorted. it will be good to have another Caringbah 'old boy' in the fray. Looking forward to seeing Stef and Pete in London town. Which reminds me. We were down in London just a few weeks ago to see Stef for his housewarming. He has moved to archway in a lovely little house right near the tube station and highgate cemetary. Never saw his last digs but from all reports this is infinitely preferable. Pete, we left you a housewarming gift there but now that you are delayed we might have to get you another.
until next time dear journal. Tootle-pip!
But now with what has turned out to be a fresh set of eyes i have spied some new things in an old set of data form last year. So, it has been several weeks of feverish measurements in my lab.
While at the end of the day feverish measurements make you feel like you have accomplished things at work, it does mean that you hide away in your little hole without much external input. And you can get bogged down in measurement sand stop seeing the big picture of what the hell it is that you are looking at. I am now almost at the end of the measurements and i have to step back and not be horrified at the incomprehensibility of what i have done.
Saturday is a Chinese new year party at my professor's house. It promises to be good. I think i will follow the usual procedure and get ridiculously drunk. However that is a common occurrence amongst the academics (work hard, play hard... hardly).
I have been reading Porterhouse Blue which is about an imaginary college at Cambridge in the 1970s. The English sense of tradition "we didn't win the war, we just stubbornly refused to lose" and it's hesitance to change. The college is, as i said imaginary and take s place on part of the grounds of Clare college. it is kind of cool to wander around thew set for the book on the way to work. My usual coffee shop just outside trinity and st johns is right near where the supposed porterhouse is and so i sit as usual with my coffee under Newton's watchful glare and now i imagine Skullion and Zipser too.
Trinity road is in some ways the main vein of the university in Cambridge. So many students and so many wild characters from england past come riding by on their push bikes. Then i ride on my way to the Cavendish laboratories to take my place. It is inspiring at times. Enough so, that when i was in oz i ran a D&D campaign set in England and starting in the little town of Cambridge during the Danelaw in 999. Jules had her first taste of (table top) role playing and seemed to enjoy it. A victory for geekish pursuits if ever there was one.
Pete is heading here in a few weeks (we hope) as long as his visa is sorted. it will be good to have another Caringbah 'old boy' in the fray. Looking forward to seeing Stef and Pete in London town. Which reminds me. We were down in London just a few weeks ago to see Stef for his housewarming. He has moved to archway in a lovely little house right near the tube station and highgate cemetary. Never saw his last digs but from all reports this is infinitely preferable. Pete, we left you a housewarming gift there but now that you are delayed we might have to get you another.
until next time dear journal. Tootle-pip!